Waterless gas holder



Dec. 22, 1931. F. H. WAGNER 1,838,016

WATERLESS GAS HOLDER Filed Oct. 25, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l NVENTOR Ireaerzv E [Vayne:

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Dec. 22, 1931. F H, WAGNER 1,838,016

WATERLES S GAS HOLDER Filed Oct. 23, 1926 2 sheets-sheet 2 L I 3 a# 2 L4, 15kg-1@ ff ,l

Patented Dec. 22, 1931 stares PATENT oFFlcE "FREDERICK H. WAGNER, FBALTIMORE, MARYLAND,'ASSIGNOR TO THE BARTLETT HAYWARD CO., OF BALTIMORE,MARYLAND, A CORPORATION 0F MARYLAND wATEnLEss ees HOLDER This inventionpertains to gas holders and relates more particularly to that type nowcommonly known as waterless gas holders. Such holders are set forth andclaimed in Letters Patent to Jagschitz Number 1,275,696 dated August 13,1918 and in a broad sense the holder may be said to comprise a shellwithin which there is .mounted a piston-like closure provided with meansaround lits edge to effect, in connection-with a proper liquid sealingmedium such as tar, a gas tight joint between the inner wall of theshell and the adjacent portion or periphery ofthe closure.

Stated more specically the Jagschitz or commercial waterlessgas holdermay be said to employ a series of shoes or rubbing bars which are forcedoutwardly into contact with the inner face of the wall of the holder orshell and cooperating therewith is means to force said bars intoJface-wise contact with such inner surface.y Means is also provided vforholding a body of liquid, such as tar, adjacent the periphery of thepiston so that said tar will, in a measure, lubricate the shoes andeffect a seal between the shoes and the shell of the holder. Undercertain conditions diiiculty has been found in effecting a tight jointaround and about the vertically disposed columns which are commonlyemployed in the building up of the holder.

rlhe present invention has for its main object the provision of meanswhereby leakage of the sealing medium along the edges of the columnswill be prevented or minimized to such an extent that the leakagebecomes negligible.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings wherein,

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the seal- 40 ing means which Ipropose to employ, the section being taken on the line I--I of Figure 2;

Figure 2 a transverse section taken on the line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 a horizontal sectiontaken on. the

line III- III of Figure 2 Figure 4 a top plan view partly broken away;and

Figure 5 a vertical sectional view with parts broken away to moreclearly show the rubbing bars or shoes and the parts which cooperatetherewith.

In the drawings 1' denotes the plates of theA shell or body of the gasholder which at their adjacent vertical edges are secured to vertically`disposed columns, or corner posts as they are sometimes termed, saidelements comprising an inner member 2 and an outer strengthening member3 which latter may be of any desired form.

Member 2, see Figures 2 and 4, is located inward of the plates 1 and asa consequence it presents within the shell a relatively wide inner faceand two narrow faces or edges which latter stand respectively at anangle to the face of the adjacent plate element 1. It is about thisinwardly projecting column that the greatest dimculty obtains ineffecting a tight joint. f

As in the J agschitz patent mentioned, rubbing bars 4 are employed, saidbars bearing face-wise against the inner Jface of the shell and beingurged into Contact through action of weighted levers 5 fulcrumed on arms6 secured to brackets 7 secured to the piston or closure member 8.

Said member 8, as will be seen upon reference to Figure 2 as in theJagschitz patent, is so formed at its periphery as to produce a channelor trough for the reception of a liquid sealing medium, the bottom ofthe trough adjacent the rubbing bars being made by a canvas strip 9secured to the upper inner face of the shoes and to a fixed portion ofthe piston or closure 8. Wooden rods or bars 10 are associated with thetextile strip 9 to prevent the same from being forced outwardly underthe weight of the tar into rubbing contact with the wall of the holder.All of the foregoing is in accord'with previous practice.

Owing to the fact that the plates 1 willl inevitably present a more orless wavy face it is impossible to effect a tight joint by a shoepressed outwardly thereagainst and'` against-the broad face of thecorner post member 2. Furthermore, it is impossible to have the shoe solit into the rye-entrant angle between the plate and the edge of member2 as to effect a Atight joint; any such close fitting al'sotending tocans-eacramping action under movement of the closure up yand vdown inthe gas holder shell. j

In the present case there is provided a shoe of vthe form best. shown inFigure 3. Itmay -besaid to comprise a central section 11 and laterallyextending wing sections 12 and 12n connected to the former byintermediate short sections 13 fand 13a, respectively. Section 11, whichbears against the wide inner face of member 2, is of such length thatthe connecting element-s 13 and 13a stand in spaced relation to theedges of said member 2,l while the wing sections 12'and 12"L bear Jagainst the plates 1 and terminate close to the ends of the main rubbingbars 4.

Those weighted levers which are mounted adjacent to each side of thecorner posts are connected to the wings 12 and 12a through brackets 14secured to the wings and similar bracketslfla secured to the adjacentends of the bars 4, pivot pins or rods 15 extending vthrough the leverand brackets. The corner 'post rubbing bars 4are thus forced outwardly finto contact with the broad face ofthe corner bar and also against theplates. The canvas element 9 extends along and is secured to the innerface of this intermediate or corner post rubbing bar, and a shortprotecting bar J 10a, see F ignre 5, is employed in conjunctiontherewith oppositethe broad face of the post.

To prevent the liquid sealing medium from flowing do'wnthrough thespaces between the edges of the corner post and the elements 13 and 13aof the rubbing bar there is provided a special sealing means for suchedges, which means also coacts with the inner face of the post. Adjacentthe post and extending upwardly from a fixed element 16, see Figure 2,is a bracket 17 which forms the support for a flexible absorbent pad,preferably composed of a plurality of layers of felt or cloth 18. Thevarious layers are so notched or cutout on their outermost edge thatthey conform to the adjacent parts-namely the canvas strip 9, the shoe,and above the latter the element 2 of the corner post. With reference tothe latter, see 'Figure 4, it will be noted that the felt bears directlyagainst the inner face and both edges; it also bears against the shellto each side of the post. Means is provided to hold the felt packing inplace. To that end an overlying pressure plate 19 is employed, saidplate being held in position by set screws 2O mounted in a xed bracket21.

A. pressure plate 22 urged in an outward radial direction by bowedsprings 23 (or equivalent means) is positioned against the inner face ofthe pad.

In order to prevent the felt from elongating and thus opening up achannel at the edges of the bar or element 2, end pressure plates 24 areemployed, said plates being constantly forced against the felt by theaction of weighted 'levers 25 fulcrumed'at 26 and pivotally connected tothe plates.

It will thus be seen that the intermediate or corner post .rubbing barcarries the canvas around to the main rubbing bars and, to a greater orless degree effects a seal with the corner post. It will likewise beseen that the felt, be it in layers or a single thick piece, willprovide an effectual seal for lthe post and particularly for the edgesthereof and the immediately adjacent portions of the shell plates tokeach side of the post. The felt being submerged in the sealing liquid,see Figure 2, the level of which is indicated by a, there is no tendencyfor the same to become hard. y

VBy reason of its nature the tendency of the felt to wear away underfriction due to the up and down movement of the piston or closure isnegligible.

lVhile I have referred in the foregoing description to tar as thesealing medium, it is to be understood that any liquid which will servethe purpose may be employed.

In operation the sealing liquid tends to lubricate the parts and do awaywith friction between the shoes and the felt packing where they contactthe wall of the shell, at the same time .tending Vto seal any openingswhich may be present between the parts and prevent the escape of gasfromV the holder.

have not deemed it essential to illustrate in this case the means forreturning such liquid to the channel or reservoir as may escapedownwardly past the shoes and the felt seals for that feature is setforth in the Jagschitz patent above mentioned.

It will be understood, of course, that the holddown plate 19 will be soadjusted with reference to the underlying felt as to prevent the feltfrom tipping up when the piston moves downwardly. The pressure must notbe excessive and in fact is such as to allow the end and side pressureplates to move the felt over the bracket and hold the same in directcontact with the corner post rubbing bar, the corner post and thatportion of the shell which lies to each side of the corner post.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell having a seriesof vertically disposed posts embodied in its structure, said postsextending inwardly of the shell; a piston-like closure for the shell; aseries of rubloing bars bearing against the inner face of the shellintermediate the posts; a rubbing bar located at each post, said barshaving a contour substantially the same as the contour of the inwardlyprojecting portion of the post and likewise having lateral projectionsextending substantially parallel to and contacting the shell to eachside of the post; a trough formed about the piston-like closure,embodying a flexible element located at the lower portion thereof, saidelement being attached to the rubbing bars; means urging said bars intoface-wise contact with the shell; and means located at each post andwithin the trough effecting a sealing contact with those faces of thepost exposed within the shell.

2. A structure as set forth in claim l wherein the sealing means at eachof the posts is composed of felt notched out to conform to the contourof the posts, combined with -ineans urging said felt into contact withthe inwardly exposed faces of the posts.

3. A structure as set forthin claim 1 wherein the sealing means at eachof the posts is composed of superposed layers of felt notched out toconform to the contour of the posts, combined with a support for suchlayers; and means acting to force the felt into contact with th-e edgesand inner face of the post.

4. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell having a seriesof vertically disposed posts embodied in its structure, said postsextending, in part at least, inwardlv of the shell; a piston-likeclosure for the shell; a series of rubbing bars bearing against theinner face of the shell intermediate the posts; a rubbing bar located ateach post, said latter bars having a contour substantially the same asthe contour of the inwardly projecting portion of the post and likewisehaving lateral projections extending substantially parallel to andcontacting the shell to each side of the post; a trough formed about thepiston-like closure embodying a flexible element located at the lowerportion thereof, said element being attached to the rubbing bars; meansurging said bars into face-wise contact with the shell and the posts; abracket secured to a xed portion of the lower part of the troughopposite each post, said bracket extending outwardly toward the innerface of the post; a plurality of layers of felt resting upon saidbracket, said layers being notched out to conform to the adjacentrubbing bar and to the post and extending to each side of the post andbearing against the adjacent portion of the plates of the holder; meansfor holding said layers against vertical displacement; and means actingupon the ends of the felt layers and `upon the inner edges thereofserving to force the layers into contact with the plate, the inner faceof the corner post and the edges of the latter.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication.

FREDERICK H. WAGNER.

